Selecting the right college – remember the alumni and school name

These days it’s easy to apply to 10, 15, or even 20 schools. If you have the money, the Common Application makes it pretty simple. As a result of the increase in applications, there is a corresponding increase in the number of acceptances.

So, now I have been accepted to 7 schools, how do I decide which school to attend?

Do your homework. Take a look at the standard sources of data such as US News And World Reports college ratings. What will you study (major)? How much school can you afford? Are you going to graduate school? Etc…

It is important to take into consideration the name of the school and the strength of the alumni.

When you are applying for jobs, the school alumni can be an incredible help. Certain schools have strong presences at major companies. (I can personally give you examples. When I worked at American Express, my division had an inordinate number of Columbia University graduates. True, Columbia is a good school, but it was because of a VP who attended Columbia.)

Another example is Notre Dame. They have an incredibly strong alumni that does everything in its power to assist it brothers.

Certain schools are stronger in certain regions. Ask around and surf to find out. You should also research some of the interesting companies in your area. Quite often companies have reputations as “[blank] shops” ( as in “Columbia shops”)